Years and Continents
by kylie90210
Summary: SPOILER WARNING - Only read if you have finished season four! Veronica returns to Neptune after Wallace needs a favour to save his reputation. But a surprise phone call could change everything she thought she knew...


One

Veronica Mars lifted her sunglasses up off her face, as she took in the passing Neptune landscape from the driver's seat of her SUV. Things had changed even more in the last month in the increasingly popular Californian town she grew up in, and each time she returned from a job the changes taunted her.

Not only because it seemed the once small town that had been at the heart of a tug-of-war between the 'haves' and 'have nots' had finally seemed to decide on a victor – and it wasn't the side that favoured Veronica – but because the changes reminded her in the most in-your-face way possible, or everything she had lost.

Her husband, Logan Echolls.

Not only had the bomb that took his life been meant for her, but it was the twisted ploy of a sadistic attention hungry mad man, who had copied an earlier bomb with the exact purpose of driving the 'have nots' out of Neptune.

Therefore, not only did the so-called beautification of Neptune taunt her, it was a constant reminder of her loss. In a way, Logan had given his life for _this_.

Some people might have pointed out the irony – before they started dating (and truthfully, even well into they started dating), Logan was a poster boy for the rich and famous 09er. A psychotic jackass to most people, especially to Veronica. Logan led the 'haves' – and in a way, it was the furthering of their lives and lifestyles in Neptune that had taken his.

As she often did when her thoughts started going down this path, she replayed some of Logan's final words in her mind, in an effort to ensure she didn't break back down into a million pieces –

"_Is it weird to want to marry someone because you respect her? Because you want to be like her? Because you want children who will inherit her qualities? I want to marry Veronica because she's the toughest human being I've ever met. Blows that would destroy most people… she always picks herself back up."_

_Logan would want me to keep going_, she told herself. It was the only thing that _did_ keep her going. She knew she wasn't always even close to the girl Logan put on a pedestal, that she was so flawed, with so many issues… But to Logan, she was someone he looked up to. Even when she didn't deserve it. Even when she let him down. Even when… she put his life in danger, was the reason he wasn't alive.

She closed her eyes briefly. The 'if only' game was one she'd played too many times.

The truth was, Logan was her _hero_. And not for the same reasons he was a hero to their country. Not even because he'd saved her life too many times to count, including – in a sick, twisted way – when he'd died in an explosion that was meant for her. But he was her hero because of who he was, what he had been through, and who he had become.

She respected _him,_ she wanted to be like _him_, and if she'd ever wanted children, she wanted them to be just like _him_.

But that would never happen, and the emptiness of the life she would never have, whether she'd wanted it or not, sat heavy on her every day.

The only thing that distracted her (if only for a few minutes at a time) and made her feel anything, was her work. And even though it was Christmas, her work was what called her back to Neptune.

Wallace needed her.

She pulled up to his house in the prestigious 09er zipcode, and put the car in park. Wallace had given her a very brief outline of what had occurred on the phone, before begging her to come home.

"I know how hard coming back is for you Veronica… but this is my _life_," he'd begged. And Veronica couldn't and wouldn't say no to her best friend.

She tossed her sunglasses into her bag, and swung it over her shoulder. Leaving everything else in her car, she hit lock on the remote and walked up to the house, pressing the bell.

Wallace answered quickly a crying toddler in his arms.

Veronica pulled a 'oops, sorry' face, but Wallace just gave her a tight smile.

"He's just cranky," he explained. Veronica nodded, she kind of got that. She felt like crying a lot of the time too.

"How are you?" she asked, as Wallace bounced his son on his hip, leading the way into the kitchen. Veronica followed.

"I'm…" he trailed off, with a shrug, putting Dustin in his high chair, and quickly grabbing a snack out of the pantry.

"Yeah," Veronica said, nodding, "of course. Stupid question."

"Nah," Wallace said, shrugging awkwardly, "it's cool. How are you?"

Before Veronica could answer, Wallace answered for her, "ugh, stupid question, sorry."

"I'm okay Wallace," she said tightly, "keeping busy. But I'm more concerned about you," she told him.

Wallace sighed, watching Dustin, who was now eating and smearing cracker all over his face, no more tears.

"I'm worried about Shae," he told her, indicating they should sit down at the island counter.

"You know, this stress can't be good for the baby. And she's working such long hours… and I'm just stuck at home, my career and reputation ruined."

Veronica nodded slowly, trying to find a balance between Veronica the PI and Veronica the friend.

"So, the girl says you… had a relationship?" she asked carefully.

Wallace grimaced, and then nodded.

"She says… that we… multiple times," he said, rubbing his face wearily.

"Do you have any idea _why_ she would say that?" Veronica asked, before adding quickly, "why she would _lie_ about that?"

Wallace shot her a quick look of gratitude, "I don't know. I honestly don't. I mean, she's in one of my classes, but I have nothing to do with her outside of that, you know?"

Veronica nodded. She couldn't help but think back to another, similar case she'd worked on many, many years ago, when she and Wallace had been in schools. Carrie Bishop had accused Veronica's favourite teacher Mr Rooks of impregnating her – and Veronica had worked to prove that Carries' accusations were a lie. Unfortunately it turned out Mr Rooks _had_ impregnanted Carrie's best friend, Susan Knight, and Carrie hadn't wanted him to get away with it. Although Veronica knew Wallace was completely innocent, the case had stuck in her mind since he'd told her about the accusations against him over the phone.

Susan had died not long after they'd finished school, when she'd overdosed at a party on a boat. Carrie and a bunch of their friends had covered it up, but the guilt had worn away at Carrie over the years, despite her having a successful career as a pop star. Stu Cobb then killed Carrie to continue the cover up and his ongoing blackmail of everyone involved, but he'd framed Logan, then Carrie's boyfriend. Stu had tried to kill Veronica when she'd found out, and he had killed Gia Goodman.

It always came back to Logan.

She swallowed and tried to focus on Wallace.

"Okay, well first thing tomorrow I'll go snooping around, see what I can dig up," she told him, as they both stood.

"Thanks Veronica," Wallace said, the relief showing on his face, "I knew I could count on you."

Veronica gave him a tight hug, holding on a second longer than she intended. She didn't have many people left in her life, and while most of the time she preferred that, actually being around them often reminded her that she sometimes needed other people in her life.

It was getting dark when she pulled up to her Dad's house.

_Dad and Tamara's house_, she reminded herself.

She didn't know her Dad's girlfriend too well – when Veronica was home, Tamara often left the two of them to catch up – but she did like her. Most importantly, although she tried not to admit it, she was glad Keith had someone. It assuaged her guilt at being gone all the time.

She got a couple of her bags out of the car, leaving the rest for later. Now she was here she couldn't wait to get inside and see her Dad – and Pony.

She hesitated briefly, before knocking. She knew that Keith wanted her to think of this house as her home always, and it was the closest thing she had – but things were different now.

Tamara answered, and a huge smile lit up her face.

"Veronica!" she exclaimed, opening the door quickly.

"Hi," Veronica said, putting her bags down just inside the door, "hope I'm not interrupting!"

"Of course not honey, we were expecting you!" Tamara enveloped her in a big warm hug, which Veronica awkwardly returned.

"Is Dad home?" she asked, looking around. _And where's Pony?_

"He was going to leave early, but you know how it is."

Veronica did. Since becoming Chief of Police, her Dad was even busier than when he had been Sheriff, no surprise really. A lot of people thought he was crazy to be jumping back into things at his age and after so long away from the force, but Veronica knew he was as sharp as ever, maybe even sharper. Since getting his medication sorted, and his knee replaced, Keith was eager to prove he was better than ever. And, as he often told them both, being the Chief meant more paper work and press conferences than actually seeing any action. Neptune was quieter these days, and Veronica assumed the whole town was still in shock over the bombings. But the changes to the town had probably more of an impact.

"Pony!" Veronica called out, waiting for the sound of the big hoofs coming her way.

"Outside," Tamara said, smiling.

Veronica made her way outside quickly, and was pretty much trampled the second she opened the door.

"Oof," she said, knocked on to her side. But her heart leapt as she covered Pony in kisses.

"Hi baby," she said, her voice catching. She closed her eyes and put her face in Pony's fur.

So many memories. Pony hadn't been the same since Logan died either. It sounded stupid, but it was true. Even though when they'd first gotten her, Logan had been awkward and unsure, Pony had loved him immediately. The two had grown to have an incredibly strong bond. Veronica had spent more nights than she would ever be able to count crying with Pony in their bed.

She heard the front door close and stood up, pushing all those memories from her mind. She could see her Dad was home, and smiled.

But before she could make her way inside, her phone rang.

Pulling it out, she could see it was Cathy Robinson calling, and she furrowed her brow.

She hadn't heard from Cathy in awhile, and it was unlike Cathy to call her. Most of the time they messaged online.

Cathy had never had a lot of free time with twin toddlers and a husband in the Navy, so while they had developed a friendship a years ago over mutual bonding about their Navy men and the difficulty of that lifestyle, they never talked very often.

After Logan died, Cathy reached out to Veronica with condolences, but within a month of Logan's death, Cathy had suffered her own loss when the small ship her husband Nate had been on caught on fire and sunk, out off the coast of Australia. The whole country had mourned the loss of those heroic men, and it had been Veronica's turn to reach out to Cathy.

It had also been another punch to the gut for Veronica, because she knew that there was a real chance if Logan had been alive, he would have been on that ship. They would have had maybe another month together? And maybe his death wouldn't have been her fault? But either way, she would be a widow and the love of her life would still be gone.

"Cathy?" Veronica answered, as she saw her Dad waving to her. She smiled and held up a finger.

"Veronica? Oh God Veronica – he's alive!"

"What?" Veronica asked, confused. Her heart leapt up into her throat, pounding at a million miles an hour.

_Logan?_

"Nate's alive – he's home!"


End file.
